Legend of the Paymaster's Gold

The Jackson family has moved into an old house on Commissioners Road near London, Ontario, and twins Sam and Eadie discover an exciting legend that involves their new home. Their neighbour, Ben, tells them that a skirmish in the War of 1812 took place right in front of their house, and that, during the fight, it is thought that an army paymaster lost a chest of gold that has never been recovered.

Sam, Eadie, and Ben decide to solve the legend and find the lost gold. But almost two hundred years have passed. How will they know where to look? What clues are there to follow? With the help of the Internet, Dave at the library, and some clever sleuthing with maps and a metal detector, they make some progress. But why are all the most likely places to find the gold off-limits?

Commissioners Road: Did the paymaster lose his gold right here? Can Sam, Eadie and Ben find it? (Click to view full size)

Excerpt from The Legend of the Paymaster’s Gold

“You know, your friend Ben calls the story a legend. A legend doesn’t mean that something did happen. It means that something might have happened.”

Sam and Eadie looked at their parents, puzzled.

“A legend is just a story that’s been told, handed down, through the years, which may or may not be true,” Liz explained.

Tom interrupted, “The problem is, there is no documentation, nothing written down. So there’s no way to prove that it really did happen.”

Sam was impatient. “Why do you have to have a piece of paper to make something true? Lots of things happen every day that no one writes down. Either the paymaster lost his gold or he didn’t. What’s so difficult about that?”

Eadie had been silent. Listening and thinking. She drew up her legs, and sat, hunched over her knees. She fiddled with her long, black hair. “If it’s still a legend, then the gold has not been found.”